Alusil
Encyclopedia
Alusil as a hypereutectic
aluminium
-silicon
alloy
(Al17Si4CuMg or A390) contains approximately 78% aluminium and 17% silicon. This alloy was created in 1927 by Schweizer & Fehrenbach of Baden-Baden Germany and further developed by Kolbenschmidt.
The Alusil aluminium alloy is commonly used to make linerless aluminium alloy engine blocks. Alusil, when etched, will expose a very hard silicon precipitate. The silicon surface is porous enough to hold oil
, and is an excellent bearing surface. BMW
switched from Nikasil
-coated cylinder walls to Alusil in 1996 to eliminate the corrosion problems caused through the use of petrol/gasoline containing sulfur.
Engines using Alusil include:
Eutectic system
A eutectic system is a mixture of chemical compounds or elements that has a single chemical composition that solidifies at a lower temperature than any other composition. This composition is known as the eutectic composition and the temperature is known as the eutectic temperature...
aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
-silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
(Al17Si4CuMg or A390) contains approximately 78% aluminium and 17% silicon. This alloy was created in 1927 by Schweizer & Fehrenbach of Baden-Baden Germany and further developed by Kolbenschmidt.
The Alusil aluminium alloy is commonly used to make linerless aluminium alloy engine blocks. Alusil, when etched, will expose a very hard silicon precipitate. The silicon surface is porous enough to hold oil
Motor oil
Motor oil or engine oil is an oil used for lubrication of various internal combustion engines. The main function is to lubricate moving parts; it also cleans, inhibits corrosion, improves sealing, and cools the engine by carrying heat away from moving parts.Motor oils are derived from...
, and is an excellent bearing surface. BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
switched from Nikasil
Nikasil
Nikasil is a trademarked electrodeposited lipophilic nickel matrix silicon carbide coating for engine components, mainly piston engine cylinder liners. It was introduced by Mahle in 1967, initially developed to allow rotary engine apex seals to work directly against the aluminum housing...
-coated cylinder walls to Alusil in 1996 to eliminate the corrosion problems caused through the use of petrol/gasoline containing sulfur.
Engines using Alusil include:
- AudiAudiAudi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
2.4 V6 - Audi 3.2 FSI V6
- Audi 4.2 FSI V8
- Audi 5.2 FSI V10
- Audi/VolkswagenVolkswagenVolkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
6.0 W12 - BMW N52BMW N52The BMW N52 is a straight-6 engine made by BMW, which debuted in 2004 on the BMW E63 630Ci. The N52 is BMW's 12th generation production straight-6 engine.Its crankcase is made entirely of magnesium and aluminum, a first in the world of engine construction...
I6 - BMW M60BMW M60The M60 is the internal code for the V8 engine manufactured by BMW from April 1992 to 1995. It replaced the BMW M30 inline six - with the exception of the BMW E32, in which the M30B30 continued to be available.-Development:...
V8V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... - BMW M62BMW M62The BMW M62 is a V8 piston engine, built in Munich, Germany. It has an aluminum block with 98 mm bore centers and two aluminum DOHC cylinder heads.-M62:...
V8V8 engineA V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft.... - BMW N62BMW N62The N62 is a V8 from BMW, built in Munich, Germany. It has an Alusil aluminum engine block and aluminum DOHC cylinder heads.It uses SFI fuel injection, has 4 valves per cylinder with BMW's double-VANOS and Valvetronic technologies and features fracture-split forged powdered metal connecting...
V8 - BMWBMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
V12V12 engineA V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft.... - Porsche 928Porsche 928The Porsche 928 was a sports-GT car sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 attempted to combine the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort, and equipment of a luxury sedan to create what some...
V8 - Porsche 924SPorsche 924The Porsche 924 is an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry-level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. In production terms, the 924 was the first Porsche model powered by a...
I4 - Porsche 944Porsche 944The Porsche 944 is a sports car built by Porsche from 1982 to 1991. It was built on the same platform as the 924, although 924 production continued through 1988. The 944 was intended to last into the 1990s, but major revisions planned for a 944 S3 model were eventually rolled into the 968 instead,...
I4 - Porsche 968Porsche 968The 968 is a sports car sold by Porsche AG from 1992 to 1995. It took over the entry-level position in Porsche's lineup from the 944, with which it shared about 20% of its parts...
I4 - Porsche CayennePorsche CayenneThe Porsche Cayenne is a five seat mid-size luxury crossover manufactured by the German manufacturer Porsche since 2002, with North American sales beginning in 2003. Its platform was developed by Porsche and is shared with the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7. It is the first V8-engined vehicle...
V8
External links
- Kolbenschmidt Pierburg - official website of Alusil trademark holder